The Last of Us 2 Dev Wants to Top Horizon: Zero Dawn’s Graphics

It’s always fascinating to hear two developers talking business, and a recent conversation between Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann and Guerrilla Games’ Hermen Hulst recently threw out such fascinating tidbits as the fact that Horizon: Zero Dawn originally had guns. However, Druckmann himself was also happy to open up, stating that he aims to top the graphics of the Guerrilla Games’ title with The Last of Us 2.

“The graphics are staggering,” said Druckmann in the interview. “How are they getting so much foliage, so much density, in an open world game?” Apparently, this looks to spur on the Naughty Dog creative director when it comes to The Last of Us 2, however. “You better believe I’m going back to my team and I’m saying ‘this is the bar now. We have to top this.'”

The interview also covers such interesting points as how developers decide on which potential gaming projects to proceed with, and even anxiety over moving into different genres and styles as Guerrilla Games did with Killzone to Horizon: Zero Dawn and Naughty Dog did with Uncharted to The Last of Us. Indeed, the full interview is a fascinating look at development behind the scenes in general. Those interested in checking it out can see the video below.

It’s great to see a pair of such acclaimed developers getting on so well, and truly shows how a strong community feel between studios can help create a supportive creative atmosphere. Naughty Dog and Guerrilla Games are two of the standout studios for Sony to call upon, and both have more than proved their worth to the company with recent releases.

Naughty Dog will no doubt want to do more than just top the graphics of Horizon: Zero Dawn, though, as the game has become a critical and commercial powerhouse. Indeed, the title is now the best-selling new intellectual property for the PS4, and receiving phenomenal reviews to boot. That’s certainly the kind of level that The Last of Us 2 will be aiming for.

Although Naughty Dog has been keeping quiet when it comes to The Last of Us 2, excitement has been steadily building for the game since its impressive initial launch trailer. However, it’s clear that the developer is ramping up things behind the scenes, with Westworld writer Halley Gross being reunited with actress Shannon Woodward. If the end product ends up similar in quality to Horizon: Zero Dawn, then Sony fans will be in for a treat.